


You Are The Reason

by so_many_fanworks_so_little_time



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Irondad, Light Angst, Not Beta Read, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Songfic, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-01-26 07:23:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21370357
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/so_many_fanworks_so_little_time/pseuds/so_many_fanworks_so_little_time
Summary: Everyone is rejoicing in the return of earth's mightiest hero, Tony Stark. All except one. When Peter doesn't respond to any of Tony's calls or texts, he decides to confront the boy on a rooftop during his patrol.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 6
Kudos: 109





	You Are The Reason

**Author's Note:**

> So this came to me during a breakdown whilst listening to the song 'You are the reason' by Calum Scott, and this is what happened! I urge you to listen to the song before reading this fic (so you get some real feels!), but obviously it still makes sense as a fic without doing so

** _There goes my heart beating, ‘cause you are the reason I’m losing my sleep. Please come back now. And there goes my mind racing, and you are the reason that I’m still breathing. I’m hopeless now._ **

~

“Pete, please, listen to me!” Tony pleads, voice wavering as he steps closer to the shaking teen.

It’s been six months now since the final battle with Thanos, three months after which Tony was brought back from the dead. No one really understands the how, or even the why, but the stones have their reasons, and all that matters now is that he’s back. Back alive, back fighting crime, back doing everything he sacrificed doing in order to take Thanos down for good.

Despite the months Tony has been back, getting to grips with life again, he hasn’t spoken to Peter once. That’s not to say that he hasn’t tried to reach out to the boy, but all his calls went to voicemail, all texts sit unanswered, and frankly Tony is worried. There is no logical explanation to explain why Peter would be ignoring him (he even got FRIDAY to check he hadn’t inadvertently offended him, and she’d come up with nothing). So Tony did the one thing he could think to do, track Peter’s suit and ambush the kid whilst he was on patrol.

Which is how he finds himself stood atop a building in the middle of Queens trying to calm down a startled Peter adorning the Iron Spider suit, whilst Tony tries desperately not to freak out himself at the look on the younger’s face as his eyes flicker everywhere but at the older man in the renovated nanotech Iron Man suit.

Peter’s gaze finally comes to a stop to rest on Tony’s own unmasked face. The boy’s eyes are rimmed red, hair tousled and grief covering every line on his young face. “No, you don’t understand!” The younger croaks out, tears pooling in his eyes.

Tony swallows, mouth dry, as he takes another cautious step closer to the boy, a slight tremor running through his own body, but he pushes through. He wants nothing more than to just gather Peter up in his arms and never let him go again. “I do kid, I-”

“You don’t! I watched you die! I watched you-” Peter cuts off with a sob, head bowing down to the ground as tears fall from his honey brown eyes.

It feels as though Tony’s been stabbed through the heart. Of all the pain he has experienced in his life, nothing compares to the distraught look on Peter’s face now. After everything that Tony did to save him, and now it feels like he’s lost the kid all over again. Possibly forever this time.

“And I watched _you _die kid! I watched you fade to fucking dust in my arms! And you have no idea how long I carried that guilt,” Tony croaks out. He can’t help the way his voice breaks as it clogs up, the way tears prick in the corner of his own eyes. He needs Peter to know, to _know _how much pain he felt for all of those years that Peter was gone. Not a day passed where Tony didn’t think about what happened, about what he could have done differently – what he _should _have done differently – to save the brave boy that is currently stood in front of him.

Peter glances back up to meet Tony’s whiskey eyes, hiccupping out, “But you brought everyone back, just to go and-”

“I didn’t do it for them kid,” He admits softly, feeling the tears filling his vision now.

Peter’s brows furrow, nose crinkling adorably, as he mulls over what Tony just said. Trying to make sense of it all. And it breaks Tony’s heart to see that Peter doesn’t even know how much he means to him, how much he is willing do for the boy.

“**_I need you to see that you are the reason_** that I did what I did. I’ve got a wife, daughter, a family, but kid, **_you are the reason that I’m still breathing_**_. _When I lost you, I-” Tony swallows past the lump in his throat and deactivates the Iron Man suit. Immediately he feels more vulnerable, but he needs Peter to know how serious he is, and if that means making himself uncomfortable, he’ll do it. He can’t bear to lose Peter again, he can’t let him walk out of his life after everything Tony’s done, everything they’ve both been through. “**_If I could turn back the clock, I’d make sure the light defeated the dark. I’d spend every hour of every day keeping you safe._**”

Peter meets Tony’s watery gaze at the soft confession of the older man, lower lip trembling as he takes a shaky breath. “Tony…” He sobs.

Tony rushes forwards and wraps his arms tightly around the boy as Peter buries his head to his chest, sobs shaking both their bodies.

“It’s okay…” Tony whispers, incapable of anything louder as he gives up fighting the tears, softly crying in to the boy’s hair. Peter shakes his head, chestnut curls tickling Tony’s chin as he grips the older man tighter against his small – _too small _\- body.

They clutch at each other, the sounds of the bustling city rushing around them, but neither is aware of anything but the beating of the other’s heart, hitched breaths and choked off sobs.

“**_I’d climb every mountain, and swim every ocean, just to be with you and fix what I’ve broken_,**” Tony manages to get out, breathing stuttering. “Kid, I can’t lose you again… _please_.” The plea is more of a sob, his knees giving out as they manoeuvre themselves to sit down, both too overwhelmed with emotion to stand steadily anymore. It’s graceless and each movement is filled with a desperation to not let the other go even a fraction. Peter curls himself around the older man, pushing his face in to Tony’s neck, soaking it with his tears, but Tony just moves a hand to cup the back of Peter’s head and pull him closer.

They clutch at each other as though it’s the last time they will, stuttering breaths as though the other is their oxygen, muttering incoherent words in to each other as if branding them on to their skin.

“**_I need you to see that you are the reason_…**” Tony whispers.

“I do, I do Tony,” Peter hiccups, sobs slowly dispersing, leaving behind ragged breathing and harshly beating hearts.

They’re silent for a minute, revelling in the feeling of the other against them, _alive_.

“I…” Peter gulps. “I love you Dad…” He whispers, so quiet it’s almost inaudible.

Tony lets out a dry sob as he pulls Peter closer to him, burying his face in to the younger’s hair. “My boy…” He croaks out.

“Dad…” Peter sobs, relief washing over him. “I…”

“It’s okay, we’re gonna be okay Petey… my boy… my precious boy. I love you so much,” Tony mutters shakily. He hears Peter sniff in to his shoulder and it makes him smile even as another tear rolls down his cheek.

He gently pulls the teenager’s head away from his neck, finally able to look at the beautiful face of his boy. Shakily, Tony lifts a hand to wipe the curls off of Peter’s forehead before swiping his knuckles along wet cheeks, wiping away the tears.

Peter gives a watery smile, and Tony can’t help but mirror it, eyes crinkling softly.

“Dad…” Peter whispers, eyes sparkling brightly.

“My boy,” Tony replies, placing a tender kiss on the teenager’s forehead. “Everything’s going to be alright now.”

~

** _I’ll climb every mountain, and swim every ocean, just to be with you and fix what I’ve broken. ‘Cause I need you to see that you are the reason._ **

**Author's Note:**

> Love to hear what you think, whether it be through comments or kudos, and thank you for reading!


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